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Content Area: Social Studies
Index: 6.2C Grade 8 CPI 2
Standard: 6.2 - Civics
Strand: C - The Constitution and American Democracy
Cumulative Progress Indicator: 2 - The student will compare and contrast the purposes, organization, functions, and interactions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of national, state, and local governments and independent regulatory agencies.
Grade: 8
Sample Activities:
· Explain to the class that the Constitution is a set of rules for our country and that it has been effective for more than 200 years. The key provisions of the U.S. Constitution can be listed as follows: Separation of powers Bicameral legislature Popular election of the president and members of Congress Powers specifically granted to the federal government and those accruing to the states The judicial system The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. Explain to the class the meaning of each of the key principles. Assign readings for each of them from the library or from the popular press. Students investigate answers to questions such as the following: What does Congress do? What is the difference between the Senate and the House in Washington? How is the president elected? What are specific jobs of the national government? of the states? Explain that there is an ongoing need for the courts to apply the principles to everyday situations. The courts and the scholars often disagree among themselves. Emphasize to the students that the interpretation of the meaning of the Constitution’s language involves trying to discover the “original intent” of the founders as well as determining the modern applications of that intent.
· Students learn that the three branches of government are: The legislative branch, which creates the laws The executive branch, which enforces the laws The judiciary branch, which interprets the laws After reviewing these three branches, the class examines the powers of the Board of Education, the district superintendent, and the building principal in relation to those of the three branches of government. Do they see any connections or similarities?
· Students play a game called “If I Had the Power.” Prepare and distribute role cards to all students. The roles should be players in the game of three branches: President, CIA Director, Senate Majority Leader, Speaker of the House, Rich Industrialist, and so on. Each player states what he or she would like to do in a specific instance as follows: President: The Speaker challenges your authority. CIA Director: The President cedes power to your office. Majority Leader: The House rejects your authority. Speaker of the House: The Supreme Court threatens to remove you from office. Rich Industrialist: The IRS demands half of your holdings. Each response is scored using a class-developed rubric based on the following generic rubric: 3 (highest) Response is interesting and complete and clearly shows an understanding of the powers of the three branches. 2 Response is complete but lacks a full understanding of the office. 1 (lowest) Response lacks a clear understanding of the respective powers of the three branches.
· In small cooperative groups, students role-play travelers who were shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island. Each group of stranded “travelers” must write five laws regarding governance of the island community, individual and/or group behavior, or whatever they think is necessary. Members of each group pick a leader as well as a recorder (to list the decisions made by either the leader or the group). At the conclusion of the writing session, recorders share their notes with the class for review and comment. As a class, students develop a way to organize the travelers into a governmental structure with a legislature to make more laws, a leadership group or executive council, and a judicial group to settle disputes.
Inspiration Templates:
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